Because You Live
by megan657
Summary: He loved her and he intended to tell her every day, for the rest of their lives. But first things first, he needed to woo her, and he intended to do it perfectly, Patrick Jane style…
1. Chapter 1

AN: hi, this is my first fluffy fan fiction :) I found that I need to write something sweet, to soften the angst in my other fanfic (Sweet Deception) so here we go:

Disclaimer: The mentalist: pretty sure I don't own it.

Chapter 1:Love you

"Jane!"

Uh oh, he knew that tone well enough to know it meant trouble, with a capital T but no matter how much he thought, he couldn't figure out what he had done, well sure he had pissed off the mayor's wife yesterday, and had _borrowed _the dead man's phone the day before that, but…

His trail of thoughts were broken when an incredibly flustered and sex…um angry Lisbon came marching towards his couch.

"Jane! You are so dead"

"What? I didn't do anything!" he said in mock outrage

"Oh yes you did, and don't play innocent with me, who else would put a dozen rabbits on my front doorstep?"

Oh, that…

"I have no idea what you are talking about but it was your birthday yesterday, and I personally think it was a splendid idea… whoever's it was"

By the time he stopped speaking, she had cooled down a little and her posture was more relaxed. He knew she had forgotten her birthday, he swore, sometimes she even forgot she had one, that woman needed to get a life.

"Oh…yeah my birthday"

He saw how she tried, and failed to cover up the fact that she had forgotten

"dammit Jane, cant you do anything in halves? You know, like _normal_ people?"

He knew he had won the fight when her eyes softened and twinkled, like they did every time she got a present. Those two beautiful emeralds would be the death of him someday, he could get inappropriate thoughts by just looking into those deep…

"Hi, Jane, Lisbon…we're up"

Fischer's voice interrupted his musings, and just like that the spell was broken, that woman had terrible timing.

He looked back at Lisbon ,the spark had left her eyes and he watched with fascination as they turned into snake-like slits as Fischer's hand came to rest on his shoulder _interesting… _

Lisbon could only stare helplessly as Jane and Fischer walked ahead, standing a little too close for casual acquaintances. She felt her heart squeeze painfully as Jane whispered something in Fischer's ear, and she tried to contain a grin. It was just like she and Jane, back when they were just friends -close but not too close- and things hadn't been complicated between them.

She tried to look away, to look at anything but them, but her eyes were glued to Jane's gorgeous backsi…to agent Fischer and Jane, and she couldn't look away. seeing them flirting and bantering had brought back memories from when life was simple, it seemed like a lifetime ago that Jane had left a paper frog on her desk, and she had tried and failed –like she always did, when it came to Jane and his charms-to contain her grin, just like agent Fischer had. She put on her big girl panties on and swallowed the hurt like she always did,and it would probably get better like it always did, and any way, it wasn't like she was jealous of Fischer and Jane, so why did she still feel the intense ache in her heart?

Jane didn't know what Lisbon was thinking about, contrary to popular belief, he was not a real mind reader, but he knew he was thinking about a shower, preferably ice cold. After Lisbon had reacted like a jealous fire cracker when Fischer had put her hand on his shoulder, he had decided to stroke that fire, and boy did he regret it now. Lisbon was angry, and not just the I'm-pissed-because-you-are-an-arrogant-ass angry, the do-not-touch angry .she was furious, and boy did it make him hot, an angry Lisbon was even more sexy than a horny one. Oh yes he'd seen her getting all hot and bothered when his lips had _accidently_ grazed her earlobe. It was an experience he definitely wanted to repeat although a little less accidently this time.

When he had gone out with Krystal, he had finally understood that he couldn't move on with anybody but Lisbon…Teresa. she had been Teresa to him ever since he had let it slip that he loved her…love you … those two words still haunted him, he was never the one to lose control but that one moment when he had seen her, so willing to sacrifice everything she had for him, when he had seen his own love reflected in her eyes, he just lost it. sure he was hyped up but how could he forget? How could he forget the way her small body melted against his? How could he forget the two, most honest words he had ever told her? But he just wasn't ready back then, and he felt like he didn't deserve her, he still didn't but he had underestimated his own feelings. He couldn't let her go even if he wanted to, he was frightened to let go of the past but at the same time, he was excited for the future. The future was bright when he thought of Teresa being in it, she was his only hope, his little sunshine in the darkness of his soul .He loved her and he intended to tell her every day, for the rest of their lives. But first things first, he needed to woo her, and he intended to do it perfectly, Patrick Jane style…

AN: so what do you think? I hope you liked it. If you did, please review, and if you didn't, also review and tell me so, because I was very nervous about posting this, and every review I get makes the rest of my day.


	2. Chapter 2:Every Move You Make

AN: Sorry for the wait, it's my senior year and I'm lucky if I can find time to sleep…

Thank you for all your support .you guys are amazing, you have no idea how happy you make me with your reviews :)

Chapter 2: Every Move You Make

The day started off perfectly normal, well as normal as it could be with a Jane on the loose, and Teresa was actually looking forward to a quiet and relaxing day. The emotional turmoil of the last few days was starting to sink in, and she felt more than a little drained.

She was trying desperately to keep her emotions in check, but every time she saw Fischer and Jane, jealousy spread through her like a poison.

They said the color of jealousy was green, but she could only see red when she looked at them. Jane noticed this, she was sure of it, he noticed everything, he was probably trying to provoke her the son of a…then suddenly a cruel smile spread out on her lips, and she crackled, not unlike the villans in the Disney cartoons she used to watch as a kid. If there was one thing she had learned from Patrick Jane, it was that Revenge was a bitch, and it was best served cold. She just had to wait for the perfect time to carry out her plan. "Sorry to burst your bubble, Jane" she thought "but you're in for a hell of an evening" and she didn't mean it in a good way.

Jane of course, knew exactly what he was doing to her. he felt sort of guilty when he bantered and flirted with Kim but seeing the jealousy in her eyes fueled with love, pure unconditional love directed at him, took his breath away and made it worth it. He guessed that Teresa had planned a nice, quiet evening in front of the TV, drinking wine or eating ice cream. "Sorry to burst your bubble, Teresa" he thought "but you're in for a hell of an evening" and he didn't mean it in a good way.

The dance floor was alive, the music so loud he cringed when he walked into the club. He felt stupid and out of place. At least he had remembered to change into casual clothes; he couldn't even imagine how ridiculous he would've looked if he had walked in with a three piece suit.

He could barely believe his eyes, when he had seen Teresa walk out of her house in a dress. He had been sure she would be spending the evening at home. It more than a little intrigued him, and it was then that it dawned on him that he didn't know this part of her at all, and being Patrick Jane, he had to know her every part of her… life, so he had followed her, sure it was sort of stalkerish but hey, he was her _almost_ boyfriend, he had the right to know what she was doing every second of the day.

He looked around the crowded room, now if he could just spot…_fuck… _that was the only word that came to his mind when he saw her. She was poured into a red décolleté cocktail dress that hugged her small frame, emphasizing her breasts and showing off her slim waist, the skirt flowing freely around legs that seemed to go on forever, she was wearing black stillos and she had killer thighs. His mouth went dry as mental images of Teresa's legs wrapped around his waist, evaded his mind. He tore his eyes away from her legs and continued the journey up her body, it was then that he noticed that she was laughing with a guy, a really good looking guy, all dark hair, olive skin and apparently very well built. He wanted nothing more than to barge in between them, and blow his cover, but the thought that Teresa would shoot him if he did, kept him rooted to the ground, and he could do nothing but stare as the guy held out his hand for Teresa, and she took it with one of her dimpled smiles.

Teresa Lisbon was having the time of her life, and it was thanks to one man, a certain handsome, blonde man by the name of Patrick Jane. She had noticed that he was following her, she wasn't a detective for nothing, and boy was it fun to tease him. She had purposely chosen her most revealing dress, and had called Nicky on her way to the club to tease him even further.

She had met Nicky in a super market when she was a teenager, and as they both went there regularly, they had ended up chatting. He was smart, funny, good looking and everything she would want in a man. She had a huge crush on him back then, so she had followed him to a club, and to her surprise, she had found him dancing expertly on stage, he was amazing, and she had instantly fallen in love with him, so she had decided to take dance lessons to grab his attention. One thing had led to another and before she knew it, she was dancing on stage with him. It was after one of their exotic dance numbers that she had blurted out her feelings for him; he had blushed a deep crimson, and told her that he had a boyfriend. She had been heartbroken and humiliated and as a result, had sulked for roughly 6 months, until she had finally gotten over him. Since then they were best friends, and had performed together whenever her demanding job gave her a chance. She had called him on this particular day, to teach a certain blonde-haired consultant a lesson. He thought he could affect her by playing dirty "well" she thought "two can play the game".

The lights dimmed considerably, and Jane lost sight of Teresa."How on earth did people come to clubs regularly, without becoming deaf or blind… or possibly both?" He thought absent-mindedly, as he frantically searched around for the breathtaking woman who had stolen his heart. The lights the small stage lit up, and just like that, his worst nightmare started to play out before his eyes.

Teresa felt truly amused _without_ being irritated, for the first time since she had met Jane. The song she had chosen for her and Nicky was "play" by Jennifer Lopez. It was a sexy, and familiar song, she could do the number in her sleep, which gave her opportunity to watch Jane's reaction to her teasing. she looked around, and caught sight of Jane standing near the bar looking around like a lost puppy, and her heart melted to the floor when she saw the color drain from his face as soon as the song started playing.

Jane didn't remember the last time his self control had been tested like this. He was fuming to the point of catching fire; meanwhile, Teresa looked like she had no other care in the world, she was practically blending into the guy as they both started moving. Her movements were graceful, effortless like everything else about her, like she was always beautiful; although he was sure she never paid attention to her looks, hell she probably didn't notice that all the men in the room were staring at her, as in awe of her beauty as he was now.

When he looked at her dancing with this guy looking so…happy, he felt guilty, the familiar feeling pouncing on him like a predator on his prey. why was it that he had never made her this happy? Why was it that all he had caused her was grief and heartache? He was just beginning to berate himself for being such an ass to her, that he noticed something: while he was so distracted with Teresa, he hadn't noticed that the guy she was dancing with was eying him in the most peculiar way, it seemed like he…he was gay! How hadn't he seen it ?and judging by the way Teresa's eyes twinkled with amusement, it seemed like the little minx new all about It, which meant she had known he was following her all along. And just like that his guilt vanished, along with all his visions of Lisbon dressed as an angel, she was most definitely not an angel, tonight she was the devil in a red dress. His smile became feral, and his eyes grew wild, he would teach this little devil a lesson she would never forget. With that last thought, he pushed his way up to the stage.

Teresa was twirling one last time, when she realized she had lost track of Jane. Maybe he had left, the mere thought that she was not important enough for him to at least fight for her, made her lips curl into a pout. She wanted to cry as she looked franticly for Jane, maybe she had taken it a bit too far, maybe …the lights dimmed and she parted with Nicky, getting mentally ready for the next number. She had picked this one specifically for Jane, she wanted him to know how she felt, after she had seen him with Fischer, she had realized how much she loved him too much to let him go. Maybe it was just too late… the song started playing, and the lights came back on. She twirled expertly and was instantly cocooned within two warm arms, her eyes came up to meet Nicky's, but instead of black orbs, she was staring into two sea green eyes. her heart stopped beating and her legs started shaking as he leaned down to whisper in her ear, his hot breath fanning against her neck, his lips grazing her earlobe with every word, "you've been very naughty tonight Teresa" the use of her first name coming so sensually from his lips turned her legs into jelly, and she held onto him, struggling to stay upright "but don't worry I will punish you very…very…severely tonight"…

AN: so, what do you think? I really didn't want to post this chapter. I have to admit it wasn't my best, but I know you guys are very forgiving:) hopefully the next chapter will be much better.

Please tell me what you think. your reviews make my day:)


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